Table fern vs Calla lily

Pteris cretica · Zantedeschia aethiopica

Pet safety: Table fern is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Calla lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Calla lily is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Table fern, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

Table fern (Pteris cretica) — **Table fern** — Pteris cretica. Photograph by naturewatchwidow, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 4.0.

Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) — **Calla lily** — Zantedeschia aethiopica. Photograph by Eric Hunt, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 2.5.

	Table fern	Calla lily
Scientific name	Pteris cretica	Zantedeschia aethiopica
Family	Pteridaceae	Araceae
Light floor	Low	Medium
Water	3–7 days	4–8 days
Humidity floor	50%	45%
Mature height	12–24 in	18–36 in
Habit	clumping	clumping
Growth rate	moderate	moderate
Difficulty	Moderate	Moderate
Toxic to pets	No	Yes
Typical price	$12–35	$12–40

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. Table fern is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Calla lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Light

Table fern tolerates low light; Calla lily needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Not even related

Table fern is Pteridaceae, Calla lily is Araceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take Table fern. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take Table fern.
If you forget to water, take either.
If it is your first plant, take either — both score 3 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Table fern, which stops around 24 inches.

Full entries

Table fern — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Calla lily — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Pteris cretica and Zantedeschia aethiopica — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Pteris cretica and Zantedeschia aethiopica
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.